Ukraine mobilisation bill leaves long-serving soldiers in limbo

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00:00 Next to Ukraine where President Vladimir Zelensky has signed a new law aimed at boosting Kiev's ground forces

00:06 The mobilization law is set to take effect next month and it's meant to keep eligible men from dodging

00:12 Conscription this follows a law which Zelensky signed two weeks ago to lower the age to enlist from 27 to 25 and

00:20 Comes as Ukraine has been struggling to fend off advances by Russia Charlotte Hughes reports

00:28 It's a move aimed at ramping up Ukraine's troop numbers as Kiev presses ahead with its grueling counteroffensive against Russia

00:35 After receiving the green light from lawmakers last week a bill overhauling mobilization rules has been signed into law by Vladimir Zelensky

00:43 It hardens punishments for draft dodgers

00:46 Increases payments to those who volunteer and requires men to ensure their draft details are up-to-date with the authorities

00:55 Controversially though a clause that would have enabled soldiers to leave the military after three years of service was excluded

01:01 according to lawmakers

01:03 Demobilization is set to be covered in a separate bill

01:06 But for now long-serving soldiers have no clear time frame for when they may return home

01:11 People need to know what they're doing if you were told that you were serving till 2025

01:16 You'd know that if you survived you'd be going home if people can't make plans they get depressed and they start making mistakes

01:23 More than two years after Russia's invasion Ukraine is outnumbered and outgunned by Moscow's forces on the ground

01:29 last week

01:31 Ukraine's army chief said that the situation on the eastern front had worsened and that Russian troops aimed to take the town of Chasov

01:38 Yaa in early May it comes after Russia captured the city of Avdiivka in February where some residents nearby are still

01:45 Reluctant to leave. I don't want to leave yet. I want someone to help me get my documents. They're covered in rubble

01:53 We don't have money not a penny there's no pension nothing

01:58 As well as grappling with a shortage of manpower Kiev is facing delays in much-needed aid from Western allies

02:06 Well funding for Ukraine is taking a central role as the Republican leader of the US House of Representatives

02:14 Fights to hold on to his job speaker

02:17 Mike Johnson has introduced legislation to decouple aid for Ukraine and for Israel many hard-right Republicans have come out against

02:24 Continued funding for Ukraine and are threatening to oust him for more on this story

02:28 Let's cross to our correspondent in Washington Fraser Jackson

02:31 So Fraser help us understand where we stand when it comes to US funding for Ukraine the Senate passed a package

02:37 That was never considered by the house. Is this the same one Johnson is now putting forward?

02:45 Technically no, but in effect almost yes the the 95 billion dollar aid package that was passed by the Senate has sat

02:53 In the house for two months with Johnson

02:55 Pushing it down the line and kicking the can down the road

02:59 But it seems that giving the weekend's attacks by Iran on Israel that now the speaker really has been pushed to action as it were

03:06 And he's basically

03:08 Repackaged that deal into four standalone bills that he will be putting on the house floor

03:14 There's also a bill which will include sanctions on Iran

03:17 But interestingly, there's nothing in there about national security at the border with Mexico

03:23 And that was one of the main reasons that Republicans gave for not giving their support to that original bill that came down from the Senate

03:30 So they are likely to vote on these next four bills by the end of the week

03:36 However, the text for those bills was meant to come out on Tuesday

03:40 But so far there has been nothing that has come out of the speaker's office. So a vote by Friday. It could be

03:47 Dubious, however, things can move quickly in the house at least what they went when they want them to at least

03:53 Some Republicans now are calling for those four bills to be united as one

03:57 Package to then be sent to the Senate which some Democrats is arguing

04:02 Well, that's exactly what we tried to do two months ago

04:05 But hasn't been done the White House has been previewed about these a few bills

04:10 Johnson spoke to President Biden on Monday and John Kirby on Tuesday said quote

04:15 It does appear at first blush that the speaker's proposals will in fact help us get aid to Ukraine aid to Israel

04:22 And needed resources to the Indo-pacific for a wide range of contingency there that of course being that bill on

04:27 Taiwan now Biden says he needs to study these bills a bit more before giving his approval

04:32 But ultimately Johnson is going to have to decide whether his tenuous grasp on the a speakership can survive bringing these bills to the floor

04:40 Well, yes speaking of exactly that, you know

04:43 There have been some calls for Mike Johnson to step aside a speaker from members of of that hard-right coalition Fraser

04:48 Where do we stand on that?

04:50 Well, the main one is Marjorie Taylor Greene who most people will know she's been hanging a motion to vacate his speakership over his head

04:59 For the last couple of weeks and that gained a slight bit more traction on Tuesday when one more

05:04 Republican senator who is the senator for Kentucky Thomas Massey said that he would support that movement

05:11 However, Johnson says he's not going anywhere

05:13 He's not stepping down and most vitally probably is that most Republican senators don't have any appetite to vacate

05:21 the speakership

05:22 But they saw the mess that happened with Kevin McCarthy and the numerous times it took to get Johnson into the speakership

05:28 That now less than six six months ago means that they are unlikely to want to do anything like that again

05:36 Jim Jordan himself one of the people who put himself forward for that as a speakership said we don't need that

05:42 No way, we shouldn't go through that again

05:44 now they have made sure though they're making sure now the Republicans that opposition doesn't grow because their

05:50 Raiseth in majority comes to just one seat at the end of this week as one of their colleagues steps down in the house

05:56 So a real a trying time for Mike Johnson as he tries to thread that needle. Yeah, that would ensure a lot more chaos

06:02 I think in the House of Representatives. Okay, our correspondent in Washington Fraser Jackson Fraser. Thanks as always good to see you

06:08 Well, it's day two of Donald Trump

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